Funeral Services for Calvin J. Frey, age 85 of Lemmon, will be held at 1:00 p.m. Monday, October 31, 2011 at Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bison. Pastor Gerhardt Juergens will officiate with burial in Greenhill Cemetery at Lemmon.


Special music will be provided by Kay Kolb, organist.


Serving as casketbearers are Eugene Hoffman, James Spenny, Larry Foss, Robert Hermann, Francis Hulm, Nathan Skjoldal, Rick Foss, and Ryan Hermann. All neighbors and friends are considered honorary bearers.


CALVIN JACOB FREY was born June 13, 1926 to Adam and Magdalena (Lutz) Frey in rural White Butte, SD on his grandfather's homestead. He was baptized and confirmed at Redeemer's Evangelical Lutheran Church of White Butte, SD. He attended the local rural North Liberty grade school, except from October 1937 to March 1938, when he and his sister, Ione, attended Stone Corral School near Yettern, CA when his parents and grandmother visited family and worked in orchards there. Calvin remembered well his experiences of picking fruit and cotton during his first trip to California, and his many Hispanic and Japanese classmates. He graduated from the eighth grade on June 1, 1939 at Bison, SD. Calvin then attended high school at the Northwestern Lutheran Academy and graduated on June 9, 1943. Following graduation, he worked with his father on the family's farm south of White Butte, SD raising crops and livestock.


On June 13, 1949, he married Dorothy Kriesel, his high school sweetheart, in a double wedding with lifelong friends, Ernest Kolb and Darlene Giese at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Mazeppa Township, Grant County, SD. To this union five children were born.


In the early 1950's, Calvin, his wife, and his brother, Otto, began leasing the family farm; and in 1957, they bought the land, cattle, and machinery from his father. They operated together in partnership until 1977 when his son, Lynn, joined them and they formed Frey Ranch, Inc.


In 2006, Calvin was pleased to celebrate the Centennial of the Frey families homestead.


Calvin was a member of the S.D. Farmers Union for over 60 years and served as a Perkins County officer. He had served on the Board of Directors of the Dakota's Propane Gas Cooperative, and the Lemmon Cooperative Association food store in Lemmon. He was among the early members to join and promote the Lemmon Federal Credit Union after it began in 1957. Calvin was a member of the Board of Control of Northwestern Lutheran Academy at Mobridge for 15 years until it was closed in 1979. He had also served as a member of the Perkins County FHA Committee, and for over 40 years as Clerk of Liberty Township. In addition to farming and ranching, Calvin was a farm Dekalb seed dealer for almost 30 years.


Calvin was a member of Redeemer's Evangelical Lutheran Church of White Butte, SD until it closed in 1953. He became a Charter member of Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hettinger, ND where he served as church councilman, Sunday School teacher, and organist until it closed after 50 years in 2004. Calvin then joined and was a current member of Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bison, SD. With a weakening heart, he passed away on Thursday, October 20, 2011 at the West River Regional Medical Center in Hettinger at the age of 85 years, 4 months, 7 days.


Grateful for having shared his life are his wife, Dorothy; four sons, Lynn, Lemmon, SD, Dean and Roland, both of rural Haynes, ND, and Monte of Hettinger, ND; one daughter, Marilyn Schwartzbauer, Bismarck, ND; his godson, Jacob Kirschemann of Topeka, KS; 5 grandchildren; 5 great grandchildren.


He was preceded in death by his parents; his step-mother, Metha (Schweinforth) Zimmerman Frey; one brother, Otto Frey; one sister, Ione Kirschemann; son-in-law, Robert Schwartzbauer; and a niece, Jeneen Kirschemann.


Family will be present from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. with visitation continuing until 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 30, at the Evanson-Jensen Funeral Home in Lemmon and on Monday one hour prior to services at Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bison.